Testimonials
1- “I had no clue that I had Postpartum Depression. I thought I was just stressed from being a Mom of three girls, 6, 4 and a newborn. It just kept getting worse. My husband and I were fighting all the time. I was yelling at the kids and our dog for stupid things. My husband and I stopped talking. We weren’t even sleeping in the same bed most of the time. Then, my husband spoke to his boss, a father of 4 children, and discussed the situation. He told my husband that his wife had PPD. He gave my husband Carol’s name and phone number. At first I was not comfortable attending psychotherapy, I thought I could beat it on my own but Carol is a very warm and friendly person. She makes you feel comfortable and reassures you that you are not to blame. I felt better even after the first appointment. It felt good to talk to someone that was a neutral party. I felt like I couldn’t talk to my husband until Carol gave me the tools to overcome those obstacles. Just reading about PPD made me feel like everything that I was going through was normal and there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I actually started talking to my friends and came to find out that some of them had PPD. I have been doing well and getting back to my old self. I still get a feeling of being overwhelmed but now I know I can control it with simple sayings or deep breathing.” S.A.
2- “I had a very uneventful and normal pregnancy. I loved my birth experience and didn’t even have the baby blues. Breastfeeding, however, was another story-it was such a challenge! My daughter was a slow gainer and that made this “worrier Mommy” go into full out panic mode. At about the six month mark postpartum depression hit me like a freight train. I couldn’t sleep, had no interest in eating and was so anxiety ridden that the thought of being home alone with the baby terrified me. I began to have intrusive thoughts which made me believe I’d lost my mind. I would see my baby being suffocated, stabbed and see flashes of her funeral. These thoughts were so horrifying that I would become physically sick and throw up. I wondered “was it me doing these horrible things in my mind or was I afraid someone else was going to do them?”, “am I a monster?”, “will I snap one day?” I felt like a cloud had come over me and I couldn’t get out from under it. This was my midnight. Somehow I got the nerve to look up “mothers who think of hurting their babies” on a search engine. I could not believe my eyes, I could not count all the websites that came up and over and over again I saw “Postpartum Depression”. The sense of relief was overwhelming. This had a name and it was treatable!!! I was so ashamed but I managed to find the words to tell my husband everything I was feeling. I called my OB the next morning and started on an antidepressant. My body is very sensitive to medication so initially I was worse. I had three anxiety attacks and hallucinated. I asked my husband to take me to the emergency room. It took four doctors telling me that I had postpartum depression before I believed it. The psychiatrist at the hospital lowered my dosage and the next day my OB set up an appointment with Dr. Thorne for psychotherapy. Thankfully, after my midnight, my dawn was beginning! What worked for me was the antidepressant and sleep medication. Sleep was a key to my wellness and recovery. The talk therapy was my lifeline. I realized that those horrible thoughts were not me-they are symptoms of postpartum depression. I grieved the time I lost with my daughter but was more motivated then ever to recover. It took about eight weeks for the antidepressant to fully work. In the meantime, I started exercising a little and was amazed at the stress it relieved. In addition, the freedom to talk to Dr. Thorne brought me to a place of understanding this little understood illness. I am thankful each day for the progress I have made. I want to tell other mothers going through this that “you are not alone, you are not a bad mother, and help is out there!” Postpartum depression is treatable and you will be well again.” A.Y.
3- “Postpartum Depression was foreign to me. I had just given birth to my fourth child and never experienced PPD with my other three. “I should have my act together.” This is the statement I repeated to myself during the beginning stages of PPD. I had a tough time believing I was suffering from depression. The feeling of being overwhelmed with anxiety and sadness was more common than not. I did not know how to bring order to my life. I liked who I was and could not believe that I was suffering from PPD. Carol Peindl is a gift to me. I knew I was going to be alright and my life would be back in control after meeting with Carol. Carol continually reassured me that I would be back to myself in time. She was great at providing the methods I needed for coping and building self-confidence. Carol was always guiding me with gentleness and leading me to new areas of self discovery. She also helped me with self-care. In a short time, I regained confidence and Joy did return. I love being a mother of four children. I am stronger, wiser and know I can tackle any difficulty after beating PPD. Carol played a big part in my success.” J.W.
4-“Having experienced a miscarriage, then a year of fertility treatments, then finally conceiving twins, my life should have been the proverbial “bowl of cherries”. What I didn’t know was that a mother of multiples is five times more likely to experience postpartum depression compared to the singleton mother. Dr. Thorne explained my susceptibility to this disorder, listened to me with a compassionate and patient ear and gave me the courage to seek the help I required including support and medication. I needed to be that “wonderful mother” I had always envisioned I would be. Dr. Thorne continues to be a support to me, three years later!” S.B.